Post & Go

Royal Mail introduced Post & Go stamps in 2008. They were a new type of stamp that could be purchased from self-service machines. Within the machines were rolls of stamps with a pre-printed image on the right. When a transaction was completed, text would be printed on the left and the stamp dispensed to the buyer.

The machines offered a selection of stamp values and over time Royal Mail introduced new stamp designs.

At The Postal Museum we had two Post & Go machines, one in our Welcome Space and another in the Mail Rail entrance.

Since opening in July 2017, we also produced our own limited-edition Post & Go products. These included First Day Covers and Presentation Packs to mark the release of new designs, significant postal anniversaries and to celebrate the opening of our temporary exhibitions.

The Post & Go stamps created in The Postal Museum machines were unique, featuring our own text (overprint), frequently changing for designated periods. This, along with the limited number of products produced make them collectors’ items and, in some cases, very rare.

Key words:

Post & Go Stamps – these are self-adhesive stamps which could be purchased from Royal Mail stamp vending machines.

First Day Cover – is an envelope featuring new stamps. The stamps have been cancelled with a special mark printed over the stamps to show that they’ve been used, which includes the date of release.

Presentation Pack – this a full set of new stamps with related information designed for stamp collectors.

Overprint – this is text or an image printed on the Post & Go stamp to the left of the design.

---

The Postal Museum and Mail Rail Launch

25 July 2017

To celebrate the opening of The Postal Museum and Mail Rail a limited number of Post & Go products were released, featuring the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / Official Opening’.

The Postal Museum launch products included one stamp of each design: first class ‘Machin 50th anniversary’ (colour randomly assigned), second class Machin, first class Union Flag, first class Mail Coach and first class Mail Rail stamp.

400 First Day Covers were released.

The Mail Rail launch products included the Mail Rail Stamp. One first class stamp was featured on the First Day Cover and a collector’s strip in the Presentation Pack.

500 First Day Covers were released.

---

Mail by Air

13 September 2017

In 2017 limited edition products were created to mark the release of the new Mail by Air Post & Go stamps. Both products included a first class strip of the six designs, with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum’.

300 First Day Covers were released.

---

Mail by Sea

14 February 2018

2018 saw the release of the Mail by Sea Post & Go stamps. Each of the six designs featured a famous ship with a rich history of postal service. These included the 1780 Packet Ship Antelope and the RMS St Helena.

Both products included a first class strip of Mail By Sea stamps cancelled with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum’.

400 First Day Covers were released.

 

---

Mail by Bike

12 September 2018

The Mail by Bike Post & Go stamps featured six historic bikes and motorbikes used for the delivery of mail. These included the 1882 five-wheeled Pentacycle that was trialled but never entered wider service and the 2002 Quad Bike which Royal Mail used to navigate more challenging terrain.

Both products included a strip of the first class Mail by Bike stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum’.

400 First Day Covers were released.

---

‘F’ Type Letter Box

12 September 2018

In September 2018 a First Day Cover was produced to mark the 50th anniversary of the ‘F’ type letter box. The cover featured both the first class and second class Machin stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / ‘F’ box 50’ and a small outline of the box.

400 First Day Covers were released.

---

National Postal Museum 50

13 February 2019

To commemorate 50 years since the opening of the National Postal Museum (NPM) by the late Queen Elizabeth II on 19 February 1969, new stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / NPM 50’ were released.

The First Day Cover had one ‘Machin 50th Anniversary’ (colour randomly assigned) and a first class Mail Coach stamp. The Presentation Pack contained a first class strip of the multicoloured ‘Machin 50th anniversary’ stamps and a collector’s strip of the Mail Coach stamps.

300 First Day Covers were released.

---

Airmail 1919

11 September 2019

Airmail 1919 marked the centenary of several Airmail “firsts” in 1919 – including the RAF flights to Cologne, the first flight across the Atlantic, and the pioneer flight to Australia.

Both products contained a first class strip of the Mail by Air designs with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / Airmail 1919’.

300 First Day Covers were released.

---

Crime and the Post

11 October 2019

The Great Train Robbery: Crime and The Post was a temporary exhibition that explored the history of the Post Office Investigation Branch and their investigation into the Great Train Robbery.

The Presentation Pack included a collector’s strip of the Mail by Train stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / New exhibit 2019’.

---

Wish You Were Here

20 May 2021

Wish You Were Here was a temporary exhibition celebrating 151 years since the first postcard was issued in Britain.

The First Day Cover included the first and second class Machin stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / Wish You Were Here’ and a small postcard symbol. The Presentation Pack included collector’s strips of these designs.

300 First Day Covers and Presentation Packs were released.

---

Sorting Britain

30 March 2022

Sorting Britain was a temporary exhibition that explored the introduction of the postcode and how it revolutionised the post.

The First Day Cover included the first class Machin and second class Union Jack stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / Sorting Britain’. The Presentation Pack included a first class strip of Machin stamps and a collector’s strip of the Union Jack design.

200 First Day Cover and 150 Presentation Packs were released.

 

---

Platinum Jubilee

3 June 2022

To mark the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee The Postal Museum produced a First Day Cover featuring all six of the multicoloured ‘Machin 50th anniversary’ stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee’.

The Postal Museum was joined by other Royal Mail Post & Go sites in offering the Jubilee overprint – the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) site at HMS Victory in Portsmouth, NMRN Submarine Museum in Gosport, NMRN Explosion Museum also in Gosport, Fleet Air Arm Museum in Ilchester, HMS Trincomalee in Hartlepool, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford Upon Avon and STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon.

150 First Day Covers were released.

---

Dressed to Deliver

18 October 2023

Dressed to Deliver was a temporary exhibition that explored the changing uniforms worn by postal workers.

The First Day Cover featured the set of six first class Mail by Bike stamps with the overprint ‘The Postal Museum / Dressed to Deliver’. The Presentation Pack included a collector’s strip of this design.

200 First Day Covers and 100 Presentation Packs were released.

---

Royal Mail decided to close Post & Go at the end of 2023. There had been no new stamps produced for several years and with the change in monarch, requiring new designs, the decision was made to stop.